Yost, Gibson Capture 1-Meter Golds at 2023 Winter Nationals

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Alison Gibson and Lyle Yost won national titles on 1-meter as the 2023 USA Diving Winter National Championships continued Saturday at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

Hailey Hernandez and Jack Ryan won the silver medals, with the top two divers punching tickets to represent the United States at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar in February.

Yost and Ryan put on a show in the men’s 1-meter contest, with Yost scoring 743.65 points over two lists of dives to capture his first senior national title. Ryan finished second at 723.65, and Noah Duperre was third with 682.75.

Yost and Ryan traded spots atop the leaderboard after every round in the final, with Ryan leading after rounds one, three and five. Yost held the top spot after rounds two, four and ultimately the final round.

But Ryan’s lead was a slim one heading into that final round, when he led Yost by a mere tenth of a point.

“Jack and I are good friends, and we kind of locked eyes across the pool and just smiled like, last one, best one. We knew it was going to come down to it, and I had to make him sweat a little bit,” Yost said.

Yost dove first and came through with 75.60 points on his front 2 ½ with two twists.

“I could tell that everything had come together. Any of the question marks on that dive, I went through and hit them all. I caught the hurdle, I twisted at the right time, I got my hands nice and flat on the water,” Yost said. “I was just pumped to know that I did that dive pretty much as well as I could hope to do it.”

That put the pressure on Ryan, who ended his list with 55.50 points on a reverse 1 ½ with 2 ½ twists.

“It feels great (to win the national title), but it feels even better to be heading back to worlds with Jack,” said Yost, who also represented the U.S. on the 1-meter event along with Ryan at the 2023 World Championships.

Gibson, a 2020 Olympian who decided to return to diving just a few months ago, continued her comeback with 510.45 points over two lists to win the women’s 1-meter gold. Hernandez scored 509.30 points for silver, with bronze going to Sophie Verzyl at 504.90.

Gibson won her second gold in two days after winning 3-meter synchro on Friday. Despite having a day of competition under her belt, she said Saturday’s competition was more stressful than the day before.

“It was a little nerve-wracking diving individual again. It’s one thing to do synchro with someone next to you, but being out there alone, I definitely felt the nerves a little bit,” Gibson said. “It was a good experience to just get out there, and I’m really excited for 3-meter now.”

The USA Diving Winter National Championships continue through December 6. Sunday’s competition features women’s 10-meter and men’s 3-meter preliminaries and semifinals.